Frequently Asked Questions
The most-asked questions about can-am and sports racing cars.
What exactly is Can-Am racing?
Can-Am, short for the Canadian American Challenge Cup, was a North American open-wheel sports car racing series that ran from 1966 through the mid-1980s. Unlike Formula 1, it had no strict engine formula, so teams could build cars around whatever powerplant they wanted, which led to increasingly monstrous machines.
How big were Can-Am engines, and why does that matter?
By the early 1970s, Can-Am cars were packing V8s around 7.0 litres producing well over 700 horsepower, far exceeding F1 output of the era. That freedom is why the series became synonymous with raw, unfiltered speed and why the cars are still celebrated by enthusiasts today.
Who are the most iconic drivers and teams in Can-Am history?
Names like Jim Hall and Mark Donohue (Chaparral), Peter Revson and Dan Gurney (Eagle), Mario Andretti (Lola), and Bruce McLaren (McLaren) dominate the record books. Their rivalries, especially the Chaparral-versus-everyone battles of the late 1960s, define the series' golden era.
What made Can-Am cars visually and mechanically distinct from other open-wheel racers?
They featured wide, low-slung bodies, enormous rear wings for downforce, and exposed V8s with long exhaust stacks, giving them a muscular, almost brute-force silhouette. The lack of a regulated chassis formula meant each team's design philosophy was on full display.
Where should a complete beginner start learning about Can-Am and sports racing?
A good entry point is watching archival footage of the 1967–1971 seasons, where the cars were at their wildest and the races were often chaotic. From there, reading a book on the Chaparral 2E or the McLaren M8D helps ground the engineering context behind the spectacle.
What is one of the most memorable moments in Can-Am history?
The 1969 race at Mosport, where Mark Donohue's Chaparral 2E with its giant rear wing and ducted cooling system dominated the field, is often cited as the series' peak spectacle. Equally iconic is Bruce McLaren's 1966 victory at Sebring, which announced his team's arrival on the scene.
How does Can-Am fit into the broader world of sports car racing?
Can-Am sits alongside endurance events like Le Mans and Daytona as a pillar of North American and international sports racing, but it focused on single-seater, open-wheel, point-scoring sprints rather than multi-class endurance. Together they shaped the engineering and driver talent pool for the rest of the 20th-century racing world.
Why did the Can-Am series eventually fade?
Escalating development costs, a shrinking pool of factory-backed teams, and the rise of Group 5 and later Group A touring-car formats pulled sponsor money away in the late 1970s and 1980s. Without major manufacturers committing, the series lost the financial engine that had made the cars so spectacular.
Can you still see original Can-Am cars today?
A handful of surviving examples are displayed in museums such as the Canadian Automotive Museum in Oshawa and the National Motorcycle Museum in the UK, while a few remain in private collections. Occasional historic racing events, like the Goodwood Festival of Speed, still put them on track for short demonstration runs.
What is the single most important fact to remember about Can-Am cars?
They were the closest motorsport ever came to an 'anything goes' open-wheel category: no displacement cap, no forced-induction ban, no mandated chassis, just a rulebook that said build the fastest car you can and bring it to the track. That philosophy is why the series still carries a mythic status among racing fans.